Orioles trying not to sputter in the Motor City

The Orioles will play a game in Detroit today if the weather cooperates and they’re able to stay awake.

Having a night game at Camden Yards and a 1:08 p.m. game the following day in Detroit made no sense to me, and I didn’t get the sense that manager Buck Showalter was enamored with it. I guess it couldn’t be adjusted.

It got a whole lot worse for the Orioles due to the delay in getting their charter to BWI, which pushed back their departure on bus from Camden Yards until 1:15 a.m. They were looking at an approximate 4 a.m. arrival in The Motor City.

You think their engines will be firing on all cylinders this afternoon?

Ryan Flaherty could use a jump start. He went hitless in 11 at-bats in the Red Sox series, striking out twice last night and failing to get the ball out of the infield.

I’d expect Flaherty to remain in the lineup today against Tigers right-hander Anibal Sanchez, with Steve Lombardozzi starting at second base, but we’ll see how it unfolds.

Sanchez has faced the Orioles once in his career, back in 2010 with the Marlins at Camden Yards, and allowed three runs and seven hits in 6 1/3 innings in a 10-4 win. Matt Wieters homered off him.

Wieters had three more hits last night and is off to a 5-for-11 start to the 2014 season. He was 10-for-32 with two doubles and five RBIs in spring training.

Two of Wieters’ hits last night came from the left side, which won’t change the opinion of fans who think he should give up switch-hitting.

Miguel Gonzalez takes the mound today for the Orioles, and he’s carrying a 6.17 ERA in two career starts against the Tigers, allowing eight runs and 13 hits in 11 2/3 innings. He’s also walked eight and struck out nine.

In case you were wondering, Miguel Cabrera is 2-for-6 with a home run against Gonzalez, who has never pitched at Comerica Park.

The reunion with Alex Gonzalez should be touching.

A rainout today would force the Orioles to play a doubleheader on Saturday and necessitate the recall of pitcher Kevin Gausman, but they believed last night that the rain would leave the area by 1 p.m.